City says no to five-foot-tall dead chicken memorial

The City of Salem and the Oregon Department of Transportation have denied People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' request for permission to build a large chicken statue at the site of a truck crash that killed hundreds of chickens earlier this month.



Salem Traffic Engineer Kevin Hottman said he denied PETA's request. Both the city and ODOT determined the statue would be a distraction and safety hazard. PETA wanted to build a statue standing more than five feet tall and weighing 250 pounds at the intersection of Commercial and Division streets. It was designed by “The New Yorker” cartoonist Harry Bliss.

The statue “would serve as a reminder not only to livestock haulers to take extra precautions with their live cargo but also to city residents that chickens are among the most abused animals on the planet and the best way to try to prevent crashes like this is to go vegan so that chickens don't have to make the trip to the slaughterhouse in the first place,” PETA spokeswoman Shakira Croce said.


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On July 9, a truck hauling nearly 5,400 chickens overturned and spilled birds into the streets. Salem police said the driver, Patricia Aguilar of Kelso, Wash., was driving too fast when she made a turn, causing the truck to crash onto its side. Aguilar was not hurt in the crash. Lt. Dave Okada said “a considerable number” of chickens died in the crash, and many others appeared to have died during the cleanup phase.